Anti-metagame: Stuff that counters and beats common stuff, and said stuffs are typically underrated stuff.
Introduction:
So I wanted to make a hail team. I wanted it to be able to take on the top players. It took some time. This team can take on top players, and has peaked in the upper 1900s. But I didn't try very hard, and my skills in OU aren't the best.
This team is unique, and it is good.
Team building:
It took me some time to realize that a good hail team is not even a hail team at all. Using pokemon like kyurem, froslass, and walrein is not the way to go, and I don't think it's possible in the current meta to use pokemon that take advantage of hail cause they all suck.
The biggest revelation one can have is that abomasnow is an amazing pokemon by himself. He IS anti-meta. The rest, is realizing that he can only survive on an anti-meta team. Which you shall see below
The team at a glance:
In depth:
Abomasnow @ Leftovers
Trait: Snow Warning
EVs: 252 SDef / 248 HP / 8 SAtk
Calm Nature
- Substitute
- Leech Seed
- Blizzard
- Protect
I chose to do specially defensive abomasnow because it stops a lot of threats. It checks latios, latias, politoed, landorus, gliscor, jolteon, thundurus, jellicent, etc. The other option is 252 speed with giga drain, which is probably useful, but just can't switch into as many threats as specially defensive. Abomasnow's typing allows it to switch into a lot of threats, and then I can easily get seeds up. Once that is done, protect and then switching out takes a toll on any pokemon, while basically bringing aboma to full health. This is a top tier pokemon that sets up on nearly all walls, and stops a lot of offensive threats as well. Consider it a stall breaker and a staller at the same time.
Cloyster @ Leftovers
Trait: Shell Armor
EVs: 252 Def / 252 HP / 4 Atk
Impish Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Toxic Spikes
- Spikes
- Rapid Spin
- Ice Shard
Lol, this pokemon is clutch as fuck. I usually lead with it, and in nearly every game, I can guarantee I get one layer of t-spikes up. That's all I fucking need. With Abomasnow's protect, and the stallish/annoying tendencies of my other pokemon combined with t-spikes, every weather team slowly dies since their weather starter will be in pain. When in the rare case there is a toxic spike absorber - no problem. I spike instead. I have a reliable spin blocker, and spikes (while not as good as tspikes for my team) still make it hard for other teams. Additionally, you'll notice this is physically defensive cloyster, which can switch into all dragons. Ice shard is key against certain players with dragons, and gets me that 40% I need. For physical attackers (most of which are dragons), I usually switch into landy-T, take a hit, u turn out to cloyster, and then ice shard. That's one dead ass garchomp/haxorus/etc. Also, rapid spin: this is the best spinner in the game. I'll spike up against ferro/skarm, and then rapid spin all their shit away. It's too fucking easy- no one expects it. This is a unique set, and you should use it.
Jellicent @ Leftovers
Trait: Water Absorb
EVs: 216 Def / 252 HP / 40 SDef
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Recover
- Taunt
- Shadow Ball
Almost standard jellicent. Jellicent is the best spin blocker. It stops scizor, and a lot of threats. It destroys stall with taunt. It stops so many things with taunt and its typing. Scald is good. I opt for shadow ball because it kills starmie. Shadow ball also checks reuniclus and other annoying shit. Jellicent is a really good pokemon by himself; I don't use him in a unique way here. It's just amazing standard spin cocker jellicent. Very necessary for hail teams since it stops bullet punch and fire.
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Def / 252 HP / 4 Atk
Impish Nature
IVs: 30 Atk / 30 Def
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Knock Off
Almost standard landorus. He's just really useful, and pairs damn well with jellicent. Switches into half the metagame, uturns out. He also lays down my rocks. I use knock off because every team has a landy-t switch in, and knock off really gives them a tough time surviving in the hail/tspike environment. U turn is a key move, since so many of my pokemon can set up and turn the game around (abomasnow!!!)
Reuniclus @ Leftovers
Trait: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 Def / 252 HP / 4 SAtk
Bold Nature
- Recover
- Calm Mind
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
This set used to be common, but now it's just really anti-meta. It helps me stop the most random holes my team has. The most noteworthy one is that sun has a really hard time with reuniclus. I usually use this late game, when the opponent's team is kind of all over the place because of hazards + hail + abomasnow wrecking shit + jelly/landy core holding up, and after a CM, reuniclus blows a damn big hole into the other team. Also, it doesn't take hail damage, and because it's bulky, consider it part of my core. It stops a lot of threats when I'm in danger, since it can tank nearly everything execpt CB tyranitar. Both the defensive and offensive potential, combined with its immunity to status/hail allow reuniclus to secure an amazing spot on my team. It can switch into a crap ton of things.
Keldeo @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Justified
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 SDef
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Surf
- Secret Sword
- Hidden Power [Electric]
Standard, and the only pokemon I'm open to changing. Scarf is good for cleaning up late game, especially because by late game the opponent's team is really shit lol. I might do hidden power ghost instead of electric - thought gyarados would give me more trouble but I barely see it. Maybe icywind is a good option too.
Overall commentary:
The overall idea with this team is that it wears the other team down, and reuniclus+keldeo blow holes into it after the other 4 pokemon hold the fort. Although, as you'll see, you often times won't need to use say keldeo, since the other 5 pokemon are enough to watch the team wither away- sometimes, they can't even break your core. Another key is that this team is very good at winning weather wars - it's too easy :)
The key behind this team is that it is very anti-meta. All the pokemon are pokemon with an incredible amount of utility. For example, cloyster lays down traps, has priority to stop DDancing dragons, and is an incredible spinner that no one sees coming. Reuniclus is both my offensive late game destroyer, but also a physical wall I sometimes need to rely on when the opponent is more offensive than usual. Abomasnow and Jellicent are both stallers, but also stall breakers because of taunt and abomasnow's sexy grass/ice dual typing. Landorus is both a wall, but also a pivot (though, this is not really news lol). The most boring of all is keldeo, which is just a late game scarfer and sometimes crutch when shit goes bad since it outspeeds most +1 pokemon.
The reason why all my pokemon have high utility is because my team can change the pokemon's roles to the other team. On more offensive teams, I can play more defensively, and use spikes instead of t-spikes. Against teams, I can tspike and assume more stall-breaking roles in my team. Against sun, I prioritize t-spikes if no venusaur, and really look out for when reuniclus can set up and blow holes. Against rain, I have a pretty easy time regardless lol. Against sand, it's always that t-spikes with cloyster. Cloyster may be the MVP of this team, if not aboma.
Weaknesses:
This team usually beats everything, but has trouble with a couple things:
-CM reuniclus (jellicent can check with taunt+shadow ball, but only check)
-Snorlax lol
-Specs tornadus
-SubCM rain jirachi with flash cannon (with standard water pulse, aboma beats it, kind of.
-A few more you can figure out yourself.
Hope you enjoyed this pretty unique team
Introduction:
So I wanted to make a hail team. I wanted it to be able to take on the top players. It took some time. This team can take on top players, and has peaked in the upper 1900s. But I didn't try very hard, and my skills in OU aren't the best.
This team is unique, and it is good.
Team building:
It took me some time to realize that a good hail team is not even a hail team at all. Using pokemon like kyurem, froslass, and walrein is not the way to go, and I don't think it's possible in the current meta to use pokemon that take advantage of hail cause they all suck.
The biggest revelation one can have is that abomasnow is an amazing pokemon by himself. He IS anti-meta. The rest, is realizing that he can only survive on an anti-meta team. Which you shall see below
The team at a glance:
In depth:
Abomasnow @ Leftovers
Trait: Snow Warning
EVs: 252 SDef / 248 HP / 8 SAtk
Calm Nature
- Substitute
- Leech Seed
- Blizzard
- Protect
I chose to do specially defensive abomasnow because it stops a lot of threats. It checks latios, latias, politoed, landorus, gliscor, jolteon, thundurus, jellicent, etc. The other option is 252 speed with giga drain, which is probably useful, but just can't switch into as many threats as specially defensive. Abomasnow's typing allows it to switch into a lot of threats, and then I can easily get seeds up. Once that is done, protect and then switching out takes a toll on any pokemon, while basically bringing aboma to full health. This is a top tier pokemon that sets up on nearly all walls, and stops a lot of offensive threats as well. Consider it a stall breaker and a staller at the same time.
Cloyster @ Leftovers
Trait: Shell Armor
EVs: 252 Def / 252 HP / 4 Atk
Impish Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Toxic Spikes
- Spikes
- Rapid Spin
- Ice Shard
Lol, this pokemon is clutch as fuck. I usually lead with it, and in nearly every game, I can guarantee I get one layer of t-spikes up. That's all I fucking need. With Abomasnow's protect, and the stallish/annoying tendencies of my other pokemon combined with t-spikes, every weather team slowly dies since their weather starter will be in pain. When in the rare case there is a toxic spike absorber - no problem. I spike instead. I have a reliable spin blocker, and spikes (while not as good as tspikes for my team) still make it hard for other teams. Additionally, you'll notice this is physically defensive cloyster, which can switch into all dragons. Ice shard is key against certain players with dragons, and gets me that 40% I need. For physical attackers (most of which are dragons), I usually switch into landy-T, take a hit, u turn out to cloyster, and then ice shard. That's one dead ass garchomp/haxorus/etc. Also, rapid spin: this is the best spinner in the game. I'll spike up against ferro/skarm, and then rapid spin all their shit away. It's too fucking easy- no one expects it. This is a unique set, and you should use it.
Jellicent @ Leftovers
Trait: Water Absorb
EVs: 216 Def / 252 HP / 40 SDef
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Recover
- Taunt
- Shadow Ball
Almost standard jellicent. Jellicent is the best spin blocker. It stops scizor, and a lot of threats. It destroys stall with taunt. It stops so many things with taunt and its typing. Scald is good. I opt for shadow ball because it kills starmie. Shadow ball also checks reuniclus and other annoying shit. Jellicent is a really good pokemon by himself; I don't use him in a unique way here. It's just amazing standard spin cocker jellicent. Very necessary for hail teams since it stops bullet punch and fire.
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Def / 252 HP / 4 Atk
Impish Nature
IVs: 30 Atk / 30 Def
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Knock Off
Almost standard landorus. He's just really useful, and pairs damn well with jellicent. Switches into half the metagame, uturns out. He also lays down my rocks. I use knock off because every team has a landy-t switch in, and knock off really gives them a tough time surviving in the hail/tspike environment. U turn is a key move, since so many of my pokemon can set up and turn the game around (abomasnow!!!)
Reuniclus @ Leftovers
Trait: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 Def / 252 HP / 4 SAtk
Bold Nature
- Recover
- Calm Mind
- Psychic
- Focus Blast
This set used to be common, but now it's just really anti-meta. It helps me stop the most random holes my team has. The most noteworthy one is that sun has a really hard time with reuniclus. I usually use this late game, when the opponent's team is kind of all over the place because of hazards + hail + abomasnow wrecking shit + jelly/landy core holding up, and after a CM, reuniclus blows a damn big hole into the other team. Also, it doesn't take hail damage, and because it's bulky, consider it part of my core. It stops a lot of threats when I'm in danger, since it can tank nearly everything execpt CB tyranitar. Both the defensive and offensive potential, combined with its immunity to status/hail allow reuniclus to secure an amazing spot on my team. It can switch into a crap ton of things.
Keldeo @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Justified
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 Spd / 4 SDef
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Surf
- Secret Sword
- Hidden Power [Electric]
Standard, and the only pokemon I'm open to changing. Scarf is good for cleaning up late game, especially because by late game the opponent's team is really shit lol. I might do hidden power ghost instead of electric - thought gyarados would give me more trouble but I barely see it. Maybe icywind is a good option too.
Overall commentary:
The overall idea with this team is that it wears the other team down, and reuniclus+keldeo blow holes into it after the other 4 pokemon hold the fort. Although, as you'll see, you often times won't need to use say keldeo, since the other 5 pokemon are enough to watch the team wither away- sometimes, they can't even break your core. Another key is that this team is very good at winning weather wars - it's too easy :)
The key behind this team is that it is very anti-meta. All the pokemon are pokemon with an incredible amount of utility. For example, cloyster lays down traps, has priority to stop DDancing dragons, and is an incredible spinner that no one sees coming. Reuniclus is both my offensive late game destroyer, but also a physical wall I sometimes need to rely on when the opponent is more offensive than usual. Abomasnow and Jellicent are both stallers, but also stall breakers because of taunt and abomasnow's sexy grass/ice dual typing. Landorus is both a wall, but also a pivot (though, this is not really news lol). The most boring of all is keldeo, which is just a late game scarfer and sometimes crutch when shit goes bad since it outspeeds most +1 pokemon.
The reason why all my pokemon have high utility is because my team can change the pokemon's roles to the other team. On more offensive teams, I can play more defensively, and use spikes instead of t-spikes. Against teams, I can tspike and assume more stall-breaking roles in my team. Against sun, I prioritize t-spikes if no venusaur, and really look out for when reuniclus can set up and blow holes. Against rain, I have a pretty easy time regardless lol. Against sand, it's always that t-spikes with cloyster. Cloyster may be the MVP of this team, if not aboma.
Weaknesses:
This team usually beats everything, but has trouble with a couple things:
-CM reuniclus (jellicent can check with taunt+shadow ball, but only check)
-Snorlax lol
-Specs tornadus
-SubCM rain jirachi with flash cannon (with standard water pulse, aboma beats it, kind of.
-A few more you can figure out yourself.
Hope you enjoyed this pretty unique team
